The scene shifts north, the kudzu giving way to ivy, for a playoff game Friday that people in Chicago have waited lifetimes for.
OK, so it hasn't been quite that long since the Cubs played in a postseason game at venerable Wrigley Field in Chicago. In fact, it's been only five years. Five years exactly.
But the postseason hopes, the expectations, the yearnings ... those have been bubbling for a few lifetimes around Chicago. And Friday, they flood into the ballpark at Addison and Clark again when the Cubs host the same team they played five years ago, the Atlanta Braves, in Game 3 of their National League Division Series.
For millions of hope-stoked Chicagoans, this one had better turn out differently.
"I've always felt this city has probably wanted to win more than any other city we go to," said the Braves' Greg Maddux, the winning pitcher in that game at Wrigley Field five years ago. "I think Cub fans are probably the most loyal around in baseball. It's been a long time since they won, and I'm sure it means a lot to their fans."
For Chicago fans, this means more than a lot. It means everything. The Cubs are back in the postseason, tied in this best-of-five NLDS at one game apiece, and they have their best pitcher, young Mark Prior, taking the mound. He'll go against the veteran Maddux, an ex-Cub and four-time Cy Young Award winner, in what easily could turn out to be the pivotal game of this series.
For the Cubs and their loyal fans, it could turn out to be the pivotal game of a lifetime.
Five years ago, Maddux and the Braves finished off a sweep of the Cubs with a 6-2 win in Wrigley, beating rookie Kerry Wood in the process. It has been a long, dry run since.
But then came manager Dusty Baker, who practically willed the Cubs into the postseason this year. Just a few days ago, it was Wood handcuffing the Braves in Atlanta in Game 1 of this series, 4-2. Wednesday, the Braves pulled even when they banged out 13 hits in a 5-3 win.
Now it comes down to a best of three. And, with Prior going Friday and the first two of those games in Wrigley Field, the Cubs' faithful fans are looking at their first win in a postseason series since they last won the World Series, in 1908.
You better believe they're worked up.
"This is probably the one town, the one city, where you can never say they're jumping on the bandwagon," Prior said. "They're awesome. They're pretty remarkable."
If there's one team that can handle all the hoopla that comes with an October game at Wrigley, it's probably the Braves, the most seasoned postseason team in the National League. They are in their 12th straight postseason. Maddux has pitched in 30 postseason games. He's pitched extensively in Wrigley Field.
On the other hand, Prior, admittedly, gets a little anxious before every start.
He's never started in a bigger one.
The wind could be blowing, the temperatures will almost assuredly be dropping and the crowd will be as loud as any baseball fans, anywhere, any time can be.
Game 3 in Chicago, the Cubs and the Braves, is an early October matchup to die for.
The long wait is just about over.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/john_donovan/10/03/braves.cubs.preview/
OK, so it hasn't been quite that long since the Cubs played in a postseason game at venerable Wrigley Field in Chicago. In fact, it's been only five years. Five years exactly.
But the postseason hopes, the expectations, the yearnings ... those have been bubbling for a few lifetimes around Chicago. And Friday, they flood into the ballpark at Addison and Clark again when the Cubs host the same team they played five years ago, the Atlanta Braves, in Game 3 of their National League Division Series.
For millions of hope-stoked Chicagoans, this one had better turn out differently.
"I've always felt this city has probably wanted to win more than any other city we go to," said the Braves' Greg Maddux, the winning pitcher in that game at Wrigley Field five years ago. "I think Cub fans are probably the most loyal around in baseball. It's been a long time since they won, and I'm sure it means a lot to their fans."
For Chicago fans, this means more than a lot. It means everything. The Cubs are back in the postseason, tied in this best-of-five NLDS at one game apiece, and they have their best pitcher, young Mark Prior, taking the mound. He'll go against the veteran Maddux, an ex-Cub and four-time Cy Young Award winner, in what easily could turn out to be the pivotal game of this series.
For the Cubs and their loyal fans, it could turn out to be the pivotal game of a lifetime.
Five years ago, Maddux and the Braves finished off a sweep of the Cubs with a 6-2 win in Wrigley, beating rookie Kerry Wood in the process. It has been a long, dry run since.
But then came manager Dusty Baker, who practically willed the Cubs into the postseason this year. Just a few days ago, it was Wood handcuffing the Braves in Atlanta in Game 1 of this series, 4-2. Wednesday, the Braves pulled even when they banged out 13 hits in a 5-3 win.
Now it comes down to a best of three. And, with Prior going Friday and the first two of those games in Wrigley Field, the Cubs' faithful fans are looking at their first win in a postseason series since they last won the World Series, in 1908.
You better believe they're worked up.
"This is probably the one town, the one city, where you can never say they're jumping on the bandwagon," Prior said. "They're awesome. They're pretty remarkable."
If there's one team that can handle all the hoopla that comes with an October game at Wrigley, it's probably the Braves, the most seasoned postseason team in the National League. They are in their 12th straight postseason. Maddux has pitched in 30 postseason games. He's pitched extensively in Wrigley Field.
On the other hand, Prior, admittedly, gets a little anxious before every start.
He's never started in a bigger one.
The wind could be blowing, the temperatures will almost assuredly be dropping and the crowd will be as loud as any baseball fans, anywhere, any time can be.
Game 3 in Chicago, the Cubs and the Braves, is an early October matchup to die for.
The long wait is just about over.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/john_donovan/10/03/braves.cubs.preview/
